Rising Fire
by ThatMusicalFreak
Summary: Set after Mockingjay. It's been years since the rebellion and President Paylor has suddenly gone missing and Panem has been taken over by a sadistic self-claimed leader, the worst part, The Hunger Games are back. As the upcoming 80th games stirs excitement in the Capitol, fire is rising in the districts. Will they be able to overcome this new dictator? (Told from POV of tributes)
1. Chapter 1 - The 80th Hunger Games

Just a few little notes before you start reading :) first of all I do not own the idea of the hunger games, all rights go to Suzanne Collins, I only own the characters I created (OCs) this is also my first real fanfic, I have written before, but have taken them down because I couldn't finish them. I really want to finish this one though and I promise I will no matter how long it takes, also if you don't mind, leave me a review and tell me what you think, I'd really appreciate it, thank you and enjoy!

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**Bios (D12 tributes)**

**Allison Winters**

A girl who was abandoned by her parents at a young age, lived alone in her parents house before she volunteered for June Stearns (A twelve year old girl who was reaped) to participate in the games. She worked small jobs around the district growing up to earn money. Has long dark brown hair and deep blue eyes. Is very shy and awkward around new people and quite a clutz when nervous. Average height. No specific skill or fighting technique, but is a fast learner.

Age: 13

Game Entry: Volunteered

**Kevin Thorne**

A boy who grew up in a large family, lost his mother at a young age. His father was secretly a war veteran in the rebellion years ago. Quite the looker and popular in the districts effort being reaped for the games. Does not trust the Capitol at all. Quite strong, tall and muscular. He is genuinely kind, caring and very likeable as long as you don't mess with his family or anyone he cares about. Specializes in archery and snares.

Age: 13

Game Entry: Reaped

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**Chapter 1: The 80th Hunger Games**

**Allison Winters, District 12**

I had woken up early and stood, looking out the window. although the sun was shining bright, I felt no warmth. Today is reaping day. I look at my reflection in the cracked full length mirror, studying the dark circles under my deep blue eyes. I barely got any sleep last night, I laid awake for hours, somehow I had a feeling something bad would happen today. I wash my face, brush my teeth and long dark brown hair before tying it up in a ponytail.

Sitting on the worn leather couch I close my eyes, resting a bit as I think. _My name is in there about 32 times. I had to enter my name in extra times for oil and grain. But, what is there for me in life anyways?_ I have no family. My mother and father abandoned me years ago and I'm way too shy to make friends. I open my eyes and observe the way the sunlight glistens off the surface of my locket, inside it contains the only picture I have of my family, I was only a baby then, but my parents look so happy. There must be something terribly wrong with me for them to have left.

I get up, take a quick shower then dry off. I stand back at the window in just a towel, letting the cool district wind dry my hair as I untangle it with my fingers. Once it's dried, I put on a simple cream coloured dress that falls just above my knees and some black flats. I just finish putting my hair up into a bun as the reaping bells go off. A quick glance at the mirror and I'm out the door and headed to the square.

**Kevin Thorne, District 12**

When I wake up, the room is almost completely dark. A bit of sunlight streaming through the curtains illuminates the room. I sit up as a pillow is thrown in my face.

''Oh, you're up.'' Says Cole, my older brother as he leaves the room. Well good morning to you too. I get up and as I'm brushing my teeth I look at myself in the mirror and think. _Another god damn reaping_. I spit then head downstairs for breakfast.

''Good morning Kevin'' Says my 8 year old sister, Daisy who is sitting at the table.

''Morning Kev.'' Says my other brother Mason, sitting across from Daisy. Cole probably went off to see his friends before the reaping and dad is probably still asleep, my mother died a few years ago and dad hasn't been the same without her.

''Morning'' I say grabbing a piece of toast before sitting in between them. As I eat my toast I wonder which unfortunate people will be sent off to fight for their lives. The Capitol is cruel.

I go back upstairs and put on a clean white button down shirt, some brown dress pants and my best pair of shoes. I finish combing my hair as the bells for the reaping go off. Once I'm downstairs, I see that the rest of my family is already there and ready to go. We all walk together and sign in, each heading to our different sections, Daisy following my dad behind the ropes. A few people greet me as they walk by, a familiar face here and there. I look up as a video starts playing. They play the same stupid video every year, all about how the games first started and the rebellion that temporarily shut down the Hunger Games. It almost makes the Capitol look kind, like they actually cared about us in the districts and were only doing it for our own good, but only an idiot would believe such lies.

**Allison Winters**

I sign in and quietly stand by myself in the thirteen year old section as our district escort, Sapphire Fuchsia walks on stage and plays the same video as she does every year. I can't help but stare at her though, every year she temporarily tattoos her whole body with some kind of animal print, this year it's zebra print. I would have preferred having our old escort, Effie Trinket, she looked much less freakish and more like an actual human being. I heard she was part of the rebellion that stopped the games a little over a decade ago. Since then president Paylor had somehow disappeared and the new president reinstated the hunger games. As the video ends I look towards the stage.

**Kevin Thorne**

My father was a war veteran in the rebellion that happened about a decade ago. He's always telling me and my siblings not to trust the capitol. The only reason they haven't punished him is because they never traced any evidence of him being involved in the rebellion. My father is very smart and sneaky, although it is prohibited, he hunts in the woods surrounding the district to feed the family and has started teaching me.

As soon as the video ends our zebra printed escort steps up to the mic.

**Allison Winters**

''Ladies first'' She says, her hot pink lips pressed in an all too fake smile. It's my second reaping but I'm just as nervous as I was at my first. She reaches into the girls reaping bowl and pulls out a name. ''June Stearns'' I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding. It's not my name.

I turn my head and watch in horror as a twelve year old girl shakily starts making her way to the stage. In the background you can hear and see a man and woman loudly sobbing a young boy clinging onto the woman. Suddenly a voice is heard.

''I volunteer!'' That voice sounds familiar ''I volunteer as tribute!''


	2. Chapter 2 - Goodbyes

Chapter 2: Goodbyes

**Allison Winters **

It's my voice.

''Well then, step right up'' Says the too cheery sounding capitol woman as I start to walk past the young girl, stepping onto the stage as it hits me. I have just volunteered for the hunger games.

**Kevin Thorne**

''Ladies first.'' She says picking a name from the girls reaping ball. ''June Stearns'' She announces as a girl from the twelve year old section starts making her way to the stage, all the colour having drained from her face.

''I volunteer!'' Someone calls out.''I volunteer as tribute!'' A girl from my age section steps up onto the stage. As our escort asks for her name I realize that she volunteered because she knew June would never make it passed the bloodbath, with her weak build and lack of strength. It's very rare to have a volunteer from districts that aren't career districts, especially one so young. By the time I look back at the stage our escort is pawing through the boys reaping ball. She pulls out a small slip of paper.

''Kevin Thorne'' my eyes widen a bit as I start to walk to the stage. No one speaks up or volunteers for me. Once I'm on stage the perky capitol lady gestures for me to shake hands with the girl who volunteered. As I shake her hand I don't look at her, I look at my dad standing behind the ropes with Daisy perched on his shoulders, The unmistakable look of sorrow on their faces.

**Allison Winters**

I stand with a blank look on my face as our district escort picks a slip from the boys reaping ball.

''Kevin Thorne She says as a somewhat shocked looking boy from my age section walks onto the stage, he has the seam look, black hair, grey eyes, though he doesn't seem to be from that part of town. Although I've never really been interested in boys, I can't help but notice how good looking he is, if looks could kill he would win the games, hands down. As we shake hands, he doesn't look at me, I follow his gaze and see a man, also having the seam look and a young girl sitting on his shoulders. They must be his family.

**Kevin Thorne**

I'm lead into the justice building by peacekeepers with the girl and we're both pushed into different rooms for our goodbyes. I wonder how her family will react to what she did. Almost as soon as the door closes, my father, brothers and sister come in. I hug them all tightly and don't say anything. We have never been good at goodbyes however, Daisy breaks the silence.

Daisy looks up at me, her eyes filled with sadness and hope. Her bottom lip quivers as she asks "Will you come back?" Tears stream down her face. Right now she's too young to completely understand the concept of the games, but she knows enough to know that her older brother may not return, at least not alive.

''I'll try my best.'' I say as a peacekeeper barges in.

''Times up.'' He says heartlessly as I hug my family one last time before they're pulled out of the room. A few more people come to say goodbye to me, a few I barely even know. I don't pay much attention to them and soon enough, my hour for goodbyes is over.

**Allison Winters**

Peacekeepers lead Kevin and I to our separate rooms for goodbyes, although I have no one to say goodbye to. I sit on a velvet chair and hug my knees to my chest. Around twenty minutes later, the door opens and June walks in, along with the rest of her family. I rise and look at them.

''We want to thank you for volunteering.'' Says June's mother as June walks up to me and puts something in the palm of my hand. I look down to see a small gold charm bracelet, containing a few charms that seem to represent district twelve. There's a charm shaped like the number twelve, our district seal, what I assume to be a lump of coal and one shaped like a small bird of some sort, seemingly trapped in a ring of gold bearing an arrow in it's mouth.

''It's not much.'' Says June. ''But if it's not too much trouble, we would like you to wear it in the arena.'' I nod and fasten it around my wrist.

''Thank you.'' I say as I give her a hug. She hugs back just as a peacekeeper bursts through the door.

''Your time is up.'' She escorts June and her family back outside as I resume my position on the chair. All I can think about is what awaits in the arena I will be placed in.

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**Author's note: **Sorry the chapters are a little short, I'll try making my next chapters longer. This is my first time publishing writing so please be patient with me and any advice you have for me would be appreciated. Thank you!


	3. Chapter 3 - Train to certain death

Chapter 3: Train to certain death

**Kevin Thorne **

Peacekeepers along with our district escort take us to the train station where a large crowd of people have gathered to see us off. I don't recognize most of the people I see, but the few that I do recognize have pained expressions on their faces. A few photographers from the capitol snap pictures of us as we are herded onto the train. I personally have never been a fan of getting my picture taken, a quick glance at my district partner tells me that she isn't a big fan either, at least that's how I interpret the way she hides her face from the blinding lights of the flashing cameras.

Once the door slams shut behind me I take a seat by the window and take in as much of district twelve as I can, seeing as it will probably be the last time I will ever see it. The last words I said to my family come to mind, my little sister's hope filled eyes. _"I'll try my best."_ And I will try, at least for her.

**Allison Winters**

Once we arrive at the train station we are immediately swarmed by photographers. The blinding flashes produced by cameras is a little too much for me. I try to hide my face behind my arms and keep my head as low as possible. My district partner glances at me for a second then looks back somewhere else, giving me no other sign of acknowledgement as we board the train.

Once the doors are shut he takes a seat and stares out the window. I sit by the window on the opposite side of the train as it starts moving, watching as the last I will ever see of district twelve fades into the distance. I fiddle with the charm bracelet I received only moments before as I try to recall a happy memory of the time I spent in district twelve. There is no memory that comes to mind.

**Kevin Thorne**

I stay at the window long after we have passed the last few miles of my district; my home. A thousand memories come rushing back to me, the day I first set foot in the woods outside of district twelve, the first day of school, my father's endless ranting about the capitol, my sister's first word and my mother's last.

I find my room on the train before I notice the tears forming. I will never let them fall though, with so much at stake I can't waste any time crying. I will stay strong, if not for myself, then for my family who I know will have to watch me fight for my life in the arena. I wonder if my district partner is thinking about her family and is trying to get back to them.

**Allison Winters**

Almost exactly when the last of district twelve is out of sight I get up and go find my room, I find it easily and flop onto the bed, it's much softer than the worn mattress I slept on at home. Everything in this room seems so much more advanced than anything I've ever seen back in District twelve. For a train taking me off to be slaughtered, everything in it looks nice as far as I've seen. I take my hair out of the bun I had it in for the reaping and kick off my flats before laying back on the bed and drifting off to sleep.

When I awaken there is a soft knocking on my door and a way too perky voice calling me to dinner, no doubt it's Sapphire. I get up and walk straight passed her to the dining car, not concerned about showing up to dinner with bedhead. As I enter I see two people seated at the table, Kevin and a man who I assume to be my mentor, I don't remember his games or his name, I've never really been interested in the games at all, only dreaded having to watch them each year, he gestures for me to sit beside Kevin. I realize I still have on my dress from the reaping, but recycling outfits is the very least of my problems right now. I take my seat as a blonde haired server places several platters of the most luxurious food I've ever seen on the table. Sapphire takes her seat as we start eating and as I expected, the food tastes just as good, if not then even better than it looks. I try to take it slow and savour the different and foreign flavours of the food, back home I used to help out at the bakery or the butcher's to get food, sometimes I would even go as far as slipping through a hole in the fences surrounding the district to search for fruits and herbs, but nothing I've ever had before even comes close to how good the capitol food is.

"Oh excuse me could I have some more water?" I say to a server as I gesture to my empty glass. He nods and fills my glass to the brim with ice cold water."Thank you." He nods again and goes about clearing the empty plates off the table.

"Oh you don't have to thank the avoxes, it's their job to serve you." Sapphire says.

"Avox? What's an avox?" I ask.

"Someone who has committed an infraction, and as punishment, has been made into a server." She replies as if it's completely normal and obvious. My mentor leans toward my ear.

"They have their tongue cut out so they can't speak." He adds in a whisper.

"Oh…" The rest of the meal is fairly quiet until my mentor speaks.

"Alright, since I am to be your mentor, there are some things you should know, for one my name is Andrew Willner and I won the 76th games, now when we arrive at the capitol you will both be taken to the remake centre to prepare for the opening ceremony of the games." I nod as he talks, just like Kevin, he has the seam look. "And you may not like what they'll do and feel a strong need to express your displeasure, but don't. Don't resist at all, they are just doing their job and who knows, their work may actually help you get sponsors." He takes a sip of wine from his glass before continuing. "In some cases sponsors may determine whether you live or not, dying of thirst? If you have enough sponsors, I'll be able to send you water. No food? If you have sponsors it won't be a problem, in need of a weapon? Got you covered. As long as you make a good impression on the Capital, I guarantee you'll have at least a handful of sponsors. Now, off to bed with both of you, we'll talk more after the opening ceremony." We obey and go off to our rooms. As I'm about to enter my room a hand on my shoulder makes me jump. I turn around and find myself staring into a pair of gray eyes.


	4. Chapter 4 - Cleansing

Chapter 4: Cleansing

**Allison Winters**

"Oh I didn't mean to scare you." Kevin says, taking his hand off of my shoulder. "I just wanted to talk to you."

"Erm, it's alright." I shift my weight from one foot to another. "Uhm, so I'm Allison, in case you didn't know..."

"I'm Kevin, nice to semi formally meet you." He smiles. I hesitantly smile back.

"Nice to meet you too." Back in district twelve I had never really talked to anyone. I nervously fiddle with my charm bracelet.

"Bet you miss home." He says. I nod, my gaze still fixated on my bracelet. "Bet you miss your family as well." I think for a moment.

"Yes, I miss them a lot." My voice falters at the end of my reply.

"I miss my family too." He says. "I have two older brothers and a younger sister."

"I bet they miss you as much as you miss them."

"I'm guessing it's the same for you, volunteering was a really brave thing to do, I could never do something like that." I shrug. "It's true."

"No, just..." I know it was easier for me because there was really no one I was leaving, he has a family he's leaving. I know this, he doesn't. I shake my head. "Nothing." He raises his eyebrows. "Um, I think we should go to bed now." I look down. "Good night." I rush into my room before he can ask me anything else, shutting the door behind me.

**Kevin Thorne**

I walk into my room plopping down onto the bed, the conversation I just had with Allison still lingering in my thoughts. She seems nice, and quite shy. I wonder if we'll be allies in the arena, she doesn't seem strong enough to last on her own. She spoke in such a gentle tone... I shake my head, clearing my thoughts. I know I need to worry about myself, and getting home to my family right now, befriending the competition will only make it harder to kill them like I will eventually have to in the end. I pull the covers up to my chin, not bothering to change my clothes and fall asleep instantly.

**Allison Winters**

I lay on my bed, letting my thoughts run wild. I try to imagine what it would be like, having a family waiting eagerly for my return, having anything at all worth fighting for. That would be a lot of pressure, so it's probably better to accept my death now. I stare at the ceiling, waiting for sleep to take me away from the terrible position I'm in, even if only for a moment, I want to forget everything bad happening around me. I try to fall asleep with the small hope that I'll wake up back in district twelve on my old battered mattress, that none of this is more than a bad dream. Unfortunately, sleep does not come.


	5. Chapter 5 - The Capitol

Chapter 5: The Capitol

**Allison Winters**

I don't realize it's morning until there's a soft knock on my door, it's Sapphire calling me to breakfast. I tell her I'll be there in a few and jump into the shower, it takes me more than a few minutes to figure out the button panel in the shower though. One wrong press and I'm covered in strange purple goo that I assume is soap, once I've rinsed off I smell like I took a bath in floral perfume. _Could have been worse._ I think to myself as air shoots out of nowhere and dries me off. I put on my undergarments and slip on a warm blue sweater and black skirt that hits just above the knees, I don't trust the buttons on the closet.

**Kevin Thorne**

I wake up on the floor, tangled in the sheets of the bed. Untangling myself I head into the bathroom and go through my regular morning routine, until I get to the shower and have no idea how to work the thing.

It's probably been about an hour since I got in and I think I've pressed every button on the panel, I stumble out and a gust of air dries my body. I rush back into my room and pull on some clothes before heading to the dining car.

**Allison Winters**

The dining car is vacant with the exception of a few servers, I'm surprised to see that I'm the only one there considering how long it took me to figure out the shower. I walk up to one of the many carts positioned around the dining car, a tray of food is handed to me by a tall red-haired avox. "Thank you." I smile at him as I go back to the table and sit down. On the tray is a plate of eggs and bacon, pancakes with maple syrup and fresh blueberries, a bowl of oatmeal, a glass of orange juice and a mug of what seems like whipped cream. I pick up the mug causing some brown liquid to slosh out of the side when I immediately place it back on the tray, It's hot.

"It's called hot chocolate." Says Sapphire as she walks in, Andrew in tow. "Kevin will be here in a few more minutes." They are both handed trays containing food items identical to mine.

I pull my sleeves over my hands and try picking up the mug again, making the heat more bearable. I take a small sip and burn my tongue, not as prepared for the heat as I thought, but cautiously take another sip and immediately fall in love with the brown creamy liquid.

"What was this called again?" I ask before taking another sip. Sapphire smiles as she says.

"Hot chocolate." I drain every last drop of hot chocolate from my mug before I ask a blonde server for a refill with extra whipped cream. I'm a few sips in when Kevin enters.

"Sorry I'm la-" He starts laughing. "Don't remember you having a white mustache last time I saw you." I catch my reflection on a tin of fruit on the table and blush as I quickly wipe the cream off my face with a napkin. Kevin sits down as a tray is placed before him as I go back to my hot chocolate, everything else on my tray still untouched. I try taking slower sips trying to savour it but give in and am half way through the cup in less than a minute."Can I get some of what she's having?" Kevin says with a chuckle as I blush. A server hands him a mug of hot chocolate as I finish off my own mug. I'm about to ask for more when Andrew interrupts.

"You should eat something before we get to the Capitol, you won't be able to live off of hot chocolate." I nod and start to nibble on the pancakes. "We should be near the tunnel to the Capitol by now." Just as he finishes saying that, the train is engulfed in darkness proving his statement true. Kevin and I rush towards the windows waiting to catch a glimpse of the Capitol. As the darkness fades, brightly coloured buildings come into view, so tall you can't even tell where they end and the sky begins. One thing the Capitol hasn't lied about is how beautiful the city is.

**Kevin Thorne**

The buildings of the Capitol are ridiculously tall and even more ridiculously couloured, yet somehow the combination doesn't seem strange at all. It seems fitting in a way, especially with it's colourful residents roaming the streets. I tug on the collar of my shirt to try and conceal the heavy scent of vanilla, I pressed the wrong button in the shower and got sprayed in the face with a foamy mixture. I spent maybe a little over half an hour trying to get the scent off, which didn't work. The thick floral aroma coming from Allison and a small smear of purple goo on her neck tells me that I might not be the only one who had shower malfunctions.

"Shower troubles?" I wipe the goo off her with my index and middle finger and hold them up.

She nods, slightly pink as she trys to wipe off any remaining goo. She laughs a little.

"You too? Or do you always smell this girly?" She takes an exaggerated sniff.

"Shut up." I say turning a little pink myself.

"Looks like you had closet troubles too." She laughs pointing at the buttons on my shirt which are all in the wrong holes, after the whole shower incident I decided not to risk being put in a frilly dress and heels by pressing the wrong buttons on the closet.

"Nope, just didn't want to miss out on the food." I smile as I go to re-button my shirt. I finish buttoning and look up to see cheering Capitol citizens through the window. Allison shies away from them and asks for another cup of hot chocolate. It's probably about the fifth cup she's had in the last few minutes, I don't blame her though, it's pretty good stuff. I grab a roll from the bread basket in the middle of the table and sit back down at the table. I'm not interested in seeing the people of the Capitol if they look even half as ridiculous as Sapphire.

"Once this train stops you'll both be taken to the remake centre, remember not to object to anything they do, they are only doing their jobs after all, you will also meet with your stylists." Andrew says, we both nod.

"What happens after that?" Says Allison.

"Twenty-two other tributes are going to be put through the same thing and you will all be put on chariots for the tribute parade, this will be your first impression to the Capitol and potential sponsers." He replies as the train slows to a stop. "We're here."

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**Author's note: **So what do you guys think? Leave a review if you have the chance and thanks for reading chapter 5!


	6. Chapter 6 - Ceremony Prep

Chapter 6: Ceremony prep

**Allison Winters**

Kevin and I are taken into a large square building looking to be only two stories high and is a pale green colour, strangely standing out against the brightly coloured buildings around it. The first floor is all one room, sectioned off by dark curtains. We're lead into our own sections, his being right beside mine. The number twelve and our district seal in white on the curtain seperating us. They begin the "remaking process" by having me change into an apron like article of clothing, if it can even be classified as that. It has t-shirt sleeves and stops mid-thigh and the only thing covering my back is a string tied into a bow to keep it on my body. They have me sit in a tub as they take things off a table nearby, bottles of strange liquids and metal tools. "They" being a tall woman with spiky orange hair and piercings covering almost all of her left ear -up to the point where you almost can't tell it's an ear anymore- and a ring pierced right in-between her nostrils and a shorter, but tall man with short curly blue hair and iridescent jewels implanted all over his fore arms, his skin dyed a soft shade of purple. The woman goes to pour something on my legs.

"What's that?" I bite my tongue after I've said it, the one thing my mentor told me not to do I've done. Well technically he only said not to object, asking isn't exactly objecting.

"A miracle in a bottle is what it is." She says in the odd accent Capitol residents are known for. "It will remove your unwanted body hair, this might sting a little." She pours the contents of the bottle onto my legs and a stinging pain comes with it. "A little" turns out to be quite a big understatement. However I grip the sides of the tub and keep my mouth shut as they both scrub the mixture making it foam up. I let out an involuntary sigh as they rinse the foam off, taking the stinging pain with it.

"We're required to do this to your whole body, but we'll do it one part at a time to help ease the pain." The curly haired man says. They have me take off the apron thing leaving me butt naked. My face reddens a bit as they bun up my hair and repeat the hair removal process on other parts of my body until the only hair left on me is the hair on my head and my eyebrows, yet the woman goes on to remove more hair from my eyebrows with a small metal tool called tweezers. Then I'm dunked into a clear liquid that's supposed to remove my scars and blemishes, I don't have many other than a few burn scars on my hand from getting a bit to close to the oven. The liquid feels slimy against my skin and leaves a sore feeling after it's rinsed off, leaving my skin smooth and silky. Once they're done, I sit up and the man places a robe on my shoulders which I gratefully put on. They go on to clean and trim my nails and wash my hair and body.

Once I'm dried off they send me upstairs to meet my stylist, I retrieve my locket and charm bracelet before I head up. An avox at the top of the stairs directs me to a room with just a large round table surrounded by chairs, she motions for me to sit and leaves. I do as told and sit in a red chair by the table, picking at a loose thread hanging off the black number twelve stitched into the left side of my robe, right over my heart.

"Hello." A voice says making me jump, startled."I didn't mean to scare you." A chuckle."I'm Walter, your stylist." A man dyed a light blue stands in the doorway, piercings all up both his ears, yet he's got nothing on the woman who "remade" me downstairs.

"Allison." I say holding a hand out which he shakes before taking a seat across from me.

"Let's talk about your outfit for the opening ceremony." He says with a smile. Though his piercings are a bit intimidating combined with the blue skin, he seems genuinely friendly. "What have the district twelve tributes worn these past years?" I think for a bit and faintly recall seeing flickering flames emit from district twelve's tributes. I feel the colour drain from my face.

"You're going to set me on fire?" I choke out. A mischievous smile spreads across his face. He doesn't answer my question. I'm about to ask again in case he didn't hear me, but a few avoxes wheel in carts containing lunch and place dishes all over the table. "Thank you." I say as they leave, a few stand at attention around the table. I receive no sign of acknowledgment, except for a small nod from a short brunet server with deep blue eyes that remind me of my own. I turn back to Walter, eyebrows raised.

"Afraid of a little fire?" He asks, taking a roll from the bread basket and biting into it.

"Not like fire can hurt people or anything." I say with a touch of sarcasm.

"The past tributes were fine, they survived the fire and so will you." He smiles reassuringly, as if he's given this pep talk a thousand times, which he probably has.

"I don't have much of a choice here do I?" He shakes his head. I sigh. "Okay then." I ask a server for a large mug of hot chocolate, not interested in any of the food on the table before me. "Thank you." I say as I'm handed a mug filled to the brim. I pull the sleeves of the robe over my hands and happily take sips from my mug. The heat makes me feel safer somehow, even in a place like this, being prepared for my probable death in the arena.

**Kevin Thorne**

I feel sore once the "remaking" process is over and slouch in my seat, waiting for my stylist, only wearing the robe a strange woman with green hair gave me. I look around, the room I'm in is simple, just a table surrounded by chairs and a few large windows.

Standing up I head over to one of the window, ignoring my exhausted limbs. The window offer an astonishing view of the Capitol and it's not-so astonishing residents. They sit on flourescent benches, chatting with one another, or walk the streets in their odd and questionable clothing. Yet all of them seem to have a certain air of confidence about them. Maybe because their biggest worries are what outfit they're going to wear the next day, instead of how they'll keep themselves and the ones they love safe. They have no worries, up to the point where they can use their time to implant abnormal things into their flesh or spray paint their bodies gold. Because of this, I despise them.

I turn away from the window, a look of disgust taking over my features. _They take their safety and happiness for granted, while I'm left here to die, for their entertainment._ I clench my fists out of anger at these people, these selfish people who are preparing me for slaughter without thinking twice about it. _They just don't know how hard it is. They'll __**never**__ know how hard it is._

"hello." Says a woman standing in the doorway. Her purple hair pulled back and shaped into a cube on top of her head "I'm your stylist." She seems not to notice my current mood, judging by how cheery she sounds.

I scowl as I say "I'm Kevin." It seems even she hears the nasty edge that has crept into my regularly calm tone as she doesn't offer to shake hands afterward. Yet she still continues to talk in her annoying Capitol accent about how "everyone will just love you!" She probabbly told me her name at some point, but I stopped listening a while ago and stare at the clouds outside the window.

After what seems like an eternity, servers come in with lunch. As platters piled high with food are laid out on the table, I realize how hungry I've been. I dig in to the food after quickly thanking the servers. If there's one thing I don't hate about the Capitol, It's the food.

About halfway through the meal, the purple-haired woman slides an image across the table. The image, or drawing depicts a man seeming to be on fire. I look back at her and raise an eyebrow.

"This will be your outfit for the opening ceremonies." She smiles widely, her bright yellow lips stretched out practically to her ears. God, her excitment for the games is so obnoxious. Then it hits me.

"Nope, nope, nope, nope and nope. You are not going to set me on fire." I say.

"It's not real fire, silly." She says. "It's just an illusion." I'm a little suprised at her choice of words, I didn't expect her to have any knowledge of vocabulary higher than maybe that of a 3rd grader.

"Fine." I scowl at her as I stand up "Now if that's all we needed to talk about, I'll be leaving now." I start to walk to the door, but walk back to grab one of the food platters off the table and leave with it before she can say anything else.

**Allison Winters**

I sit quietly in my chair as my prep team does my hair and make-up for the opening ceremonies. The man; who I've taken to calling Curly, draws faint outlines of flames up my arms, while the woman, Alayna, dusts a shimmery powder over the flames and my face. I look at myself in the mirror as they work. My lips are a deep shade of red, my facial features exaggerated, making me look more striking than beautiful. For my eyes, they simply do winged eyeliner, making my eyes seem a more intense shade of blue. For my hair they put it into a braided updo before painting my nails black. As they dry, Walter comes wheeling a clothing rack in with him, the garments are all bagged over.

"Hello again Allison." He says with a smile.

"Hi." I say smiling back. He gestures for me to stand up and I do.

"So are you ready to see your outfit for the opening ceremonies?" I nod. He takes the bag off, revealing a shiny black body suit with metallic gold accents.

"It's nice, but I don't really see the fire aspect of it." I say.

"The fire will come when you're ready." He says, pointing at a loose thread "Just pull this and you'll be all set."

**Kevin Thorne**

I sat on the stairs for the remainder of lunch, until the woman with the green hair from earlier called me back into the room to prepare for the openining ceremonies. I sit in a chair as the people who "remade" me earlier work on me. Once they're done I look at myself in the mirror. My facial features are contorted to the point where I barely recognize myself anymore. They stick me into a black body suit and send me down for the opening ceremonies. I just know I'm going to hate every minute of it.

* * *

**Author's note: Opening ceremonies will be in the next chapter, sorry it took so long to update**


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